Latest news with #Catholicism
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Love, faith, & vegetarian life: Usha Vance opens up on life as US second lady; wants to have Holi party
Second Lady Usha Vance has stepped into the national spotlight with unexpected candour, offering a warm and thoughtful glimpse into her family life, vegetarian upbringing, and Hindu faith. In a candid appearance on Meghan McCain's Citizen McCain podcast, she painted a picture of an interfaith household marked by openness, choice, and deep cultural respect. Reflecting on her interfaith marriage to Vice President JD Vance—who converted to Catholicism after the birth of their first child—Usha shared how they navigated the complexities of faith. 'We had to have a lot of real conversations about how do you do that, when I'm not Catholic, and I'm not intending to convert,' she said, explaining their decision to send their children to Catholic school while ensuring they have full access to Hindu traditions through family, books and travel With her husband JD Vance now a central figure in Donald Trump's Republican administration, Second Lady Usha Vance has begun carving out a public identity of her own. In an extended conversation with Meghan McCain, Usha opened up about family life, her Hindu faith, her upbringing as a vegetarian, and how the Vance children are being raised with elements of both parents' traditions. 'They know that I'm not Catholic. .. They have plenty of access to the Hindu tradition,' Usha explained. Love story that started in law school Usha first met JD Vance during a tour at Yale Law School, where they were in the same classes and became fast friends. 'He was just obviously really good friend material right off the bat,' she recalled. 'It really was... in our second semester when he started to talk more about where he was from... that I started to think of him in this different way.' Usha Vance Opens Up: Her First Extended Interview on Life as Second Lady with Meghan McCain Although author Amy Chua, famed as the "Tiger Mom," is often cited in their love story, Usha clarified: 'She wasn't instrumental in us dating... but she was really important later on,' especially in helping JD realise that pursuing happiness—including their relationship—was more important than chasing elite clerkships. Interfaith Marriage: Conversations, choices, and catholic school When JD converted to Catholicism after their first child was born, it prompted serious discussions. 'We had to have a lot of real conversations about how do you do that, when I'm not Catholic, and I'm not intending to convert.' The Vance children now attend Catholic school but are allowed to make their own decision on baptism. 'Our oldest child has done that... We make going to church a family experience. The kids know that I'm not Catholic. ' Usha said the children are also immersed in Hindu culture through family, books and travel. 'They know many practising Hindus... Their main point of access is through spending time with my parents and my grandmother.' Though the family doesn't mark many Hindu festivals formally at home, the children connect with their heritage through visits and stories. 'My grandmother is a particularly devout Hindu... She prays every day, goes to the temple, does her own pujas." Usha said she hopes to change that in future: 'We're actually hoping to have a Holi party, so we're looking forward to that next year.' Life as a vegetarian—and JD's culinary experiments Raised in a vegetarian household, Usha said she's always thought of meals holistically. 'It's really hard to think about vegetarian diets as substituting for meat... the better way is to have a number of smaller things on your plate.' When they began dating, JD took it upon himself to learn vegetarian cooking. 'The first place that he went was actually to my mum to learn how to make some of the dishes that I enjoyed.' Today, he's known in the family for his chocolate chip cookies and Southern-style biscuits. 'He makes amazing biscuits... He's made some really good cakes, so those are my favourites.' Parenting in the public eye Raising children under the glare of politics and media hasn't been easy. Usha said they try to maintain normal routines. 'They have to put away their laundry... If they spill something, they have to clean it up.' She said the goal is to give them as grounded a life as possible: 'Almost every decision that we make is directed at making it as much like what it would have been like if they'd been growing up in Cincinnati.' Reflecting on a rapid life change When JD was named vice president, everything changed in an instant. 'We had to suddenly move hotel rooms... There was really no opportunity for reflection.' Only after the inauguration did Usha have time to think about how she wanted to use her new platform. 'Now actually, this is maybe truly the fun part... where I can start bringing projects to the light.'
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Fury as Britain's oldest cathedral to turn iconic landmark into an AIRBNB with locals slamming ‘outrageous' plans
It has been branded as a commercialisation move HOLY MOLY Fury as Britain's oldest cathedral to turn iconic landmark into an AIRBNB with locals slamming 'outrageous' plans Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PLANS to turn the entrance to Britain's oldest cathedral into an Airbnb have been branded as "outrageous". The entrance gateway to Canterbury Cathedral, one of the most photographed Christian landmarks of the country, could be converted into accommodation. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Canterbury Cathedral, located in Kent, may have its entrance transformed Credit: Alamy 3 The landmark dates back to the early 16th century Credit: Alamy Christ Church Gate, which serves as the main entrance to the cathedral, was built in 1520. What the plans for the Airbnb involve Church authorities have proposed to transform its historic tower into an Airbnb, as an apartment with one bedroom, an open-plan kitchen and living room. Other features in the plans include a biofuel fire, breakfast bar, and two toilets. A Canterbury Cathedral spokesperson said: 'The best long-term way to care for our historic buildings, and ensure that they are maintained for future generations, is for them to be used and loved by residents and visitors. 'The rooms in the Gate remain unrefurbished and, in their current condition, are of limited use. 'As we consider how these rooms could be used, the Cathedral is working closely with historic building specialists, conservation architects and planners to bring them into use. 'This will help us continue our centuries-old practice of hospitality and welcome as we seek to serve the wider community, both here in Canterbury, and across the world. We are looking to share more information as plans unfold.' Purcell Architects is the company set to be involved in the transformation of the Cathedral, and submitted documents to the council. They said: 'It is clear from the layout and fixtures, including the large fireplaces and windows originally with shutters, that they were designed for domestic use." Move branded 'outrageous' This, however, has sparked controversy among the local community and Christians and seen as "the continued commercialisation of the Church". Chair of the Canterbury Society, Hilary Brian, said it was an "outrageous" idea and told KentOnline: 'The gate is such an important piece of Canterbury's history, and it should be preserved. 'It seems such a shame to see one of the city's biggest landmarks disregarded in this way.' Historic UK city undergoing huge multi-million revamp Dr Gavin Ashenden, who was the former chaplain to late Queen Elizabeth II, and has since converted to Catholicism, thinks the conversion plans come at no surprise. He pointed out: 'As The Church of have to go to ever increasing links to raise money. Ashenden was also a choral scholar at King's Canterbury, and added: 'To give credit where it is due, at least turning this famous cathedral gateway into an Airbnb doesn't involve the degree of blasphemy and irresponsibility that some of the other money making ventures like turning the cathedral into a nightclub involved. "Perhaps local residents should be grateful. "It's just Airbnb rather than a casino.' Other church transformations It is not the first time an historic cathedral has been "commercialised". In 2019, Southwark Cathedral had its nave used as a catwalk and to sell clothes by fashion designer Julien MacDonald. It was subsequently accused of promoting the "antithesis of the Christian Gospel". Norwich Cathedral was also criticised for "treating God like a tourist attraction" when it installed a 55-ft helter skelter in its nave. Airbnb and Canterbury Council have been contacted for comment.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Second Lady Usha Vance opens up about interfaith parenting with Vice President JD Vance
Second Lady Usha Vance opened up in a new interview about how she and husband JD Vance raise their three children in an interfaith household, as Usha is Hindu and the vice president is Catholic. Usha Vance spoke to Meghan McCain on her podcast, "Citizen McCain," about raising her three children, Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel, at the Naval Observatory, as well as the transition into becoming the second couple. "At the time when I met JD, he wasn't Catholic, and he converted later and when he converted, we had a lot of conversations about that because it was actually after we had our first child, maybe it was after Vivek was born too," she said. "When you convert to Catholicism it comes with several important obligations, like to raise your child in the faith and all that." "We had to have a lot of real conversations about how do you do that, when I'm not Catholic, and I'm not intending to convert or anything like that," Usha continued. The second lady said it was helpful because she felt she had a say over the directions of their lives. "So what we've ended up doing is we send our kids to Catholic school, and we have given them each the choice, right? They can choose whether they want to be baptized Catholic and then go through the whole step-by-step process with their classes in school," she said. Vance said their oldest child has done that, and added that they make going to church a "family experience." "The kids know that I'm not Catholic, and they have plenty of access to the Hindu tradition from books that we give them, to things that we show them, to the recent trip to India, and some of the religious elements of that visit," Vance continued. Usha Vance was also the subject of a New York Times profile published Wednesday, which described some friends as "bewildered" by her going from once being a Democrat to the spouse of a Republican vice president. Others said, however, that she naturally soured on the left over time, and she was reportedly outraged at Democratic attacks on future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his wrenching confirmation process in 2018; she clerked for Kavanaugh when he sat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. "People close to the vice president, who went from being a vocal critic of now-President Trump to his running mate, argue that Ms. Vance went on a similar but less public journey that soured her on the left," the Times reported. Usha Vance spoke to Fox News in August while her husband was on the campaign trail and told host Ainsley Earhardt how she deals with negative press coverage of her husband. "Sometimes I don't see it all, and sometimes I do see it and I look at and think, well, this is not the JD I know, this is not accurate," she said at the time. "And other times it might span discussions or thoughts about what we should do next or how we should live. But I think we've been doing this now for a little while, and I've gotten kind of accustomed to it and grown a bit of a thick skin to it." Usha Vance met JD Vance at Yale University, and the couple married in 2014. Vice President Vance, 40, is the third-youngest vice president in history and first millennial to hold the office, and Usha Vance is the first Indian-American second lady.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Usha Vance Opens Up About Family Life in Rare Interview
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In a rare interview from the Naval Observatory, second lady Usha Vance spoke with conservative commentator Meghan McCain about adjusting to public life and the realities of raising three young children while in the high-profile political role. The conversation also offered a glimpse into the Vance family's world, from their love of Ohio to the vice president's talent as an "excellent, amazing baker," and Usha's reliance on a group chat of friends for style advice. Why It Matters Second lady Usha Vance has largely kept a low speaking profile while in office, with Wednesday's Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain podcast episode offering insight into the couple and family as a whole. McCain, who praised Usha Vance several times during the interview and used the conversation to announce her pregnancy and seek parenting advice, did not vote for the Republican ticket led by Donald Trump and JD Vance in November 2024. Instead, she wrote in her late father, Senator John McCain, who was the previous Republican nominee for president in 2008. What To Know Usha, 39, is a legal scholar and academic powerhouse, having earned degrees from Yale College and Yale Law School, where she met JD Vance, as well as a master's from Cambridge. She holds an extensive list of legal accomplishments and fellowships, including a clerkship with Chief Justice John Roberts on the U.S. Supreme Court—a role she told McCain she began just seven weeks after giving birth. Usha was raised in San Diego, California, by Indian immigrants who came to the area in pursuit of higher education, she told McCain. Up until Vance was nominated as President Donald Trump's running mate in July 2024, she was working as a trial lawyer at Munger, Tolles, and Olson. The couple has three children: two sons, Ewan and Vivek, who are 8 and 5, and a daughter, Mirabel, who is 3. Second Lady Usha Vance on a June 25, 2025 interview on Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain podcast. Second Lady Usha Vance on a June 25, 2025 interview on Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain podcast. Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain podcast/YouTube Raising A Multi-Faith Family When Vance converted to Catholicism, "we had to have a lot of real conversations," Usha, who is Hindu, and told McCain that she is "not intending to convert," she said. When asked how the couple manages both faiths and presents them to their children, Usha said they offer their children the opportunities to explore both religions and make their own decisions. "We send our kids to Catholic school and have given them each the choice," she noted. Their oldest child, Ewan, has decided to be baptized Catholic. Usha says going to church is "a family experience," even though her kids know she is not Catholic. "They have plenty of access to Hindu tradition - from books that we give them to things that we show them to the visit recently to India and some of the religious elements of that visit." The family travelled together to India in April, visiting historic sites such as the Taj Mahal among others. In addition, Usha says the children have access to learning about Hinduism through their relatives, telling McCain, "My grandmother is a particularly devout Hindu." The family doesn't necessarily celebrate Hindu holidays at home, but the second lady floated the idea of a Holi party next year. She told McCain that all three of her children eat meat, unlike her. Vegetarianism is a common diet among Hindus. US Vice President JD Vance (2R) and his wife Usha Vance (2L), along with their children Ewan (C), Vivek (R) and Mirabel, pose for a photo in front of the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi... US Vice President JD Vance (2R) and his wife Usha Vance (2L), along with their children Ewan (C), Vivek (R) and Mirabel, pose for a photo in front of the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi on April 21, 2025. More KENNY HOLSTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Transitioning to the Public Eye and Maintaining Normalcy Throughout the interview, Usha Vance emphasized her efforts to maintain a sense of normalcy for her family—a priority that influences many of their decisions, including whether to bring their children to public events. "Almost every decision is directed at making it as much like what it would have been like if they had been growing up in Cincinnati as we planned," she told McCain. "So sometimes that means they are at public events because if there were a cool military parade or something like that they'd want to go see it, and if their dad was going to go be doing something that they're interested in they want to be with him and experience it as a family of five and not just dad's off doing this other thing," she explained. However, the couple "also make a lot of decisions that keep them out of the public eye and make them have to do pretty normal prosaic things" such as handling everyday chores like putting away laundry or cleaning up spills—despite having staff members nearby who offer to help. Beyond parenting, Usha Vance acknowledged that "one of the things that's kind of difficult about this life is that you are constantly set apart," citing differences in security and social interactions compared with their life before Vance took up such a high-profile post. She noted that there's "all of these ways in which you're just sort of pulled out of everyday life and the pressure that I feel is how to reinsert myself in it at every possible turn and actually just be a millennial person living in the world as opposed to some sort of like figure on television." Her way of doing that, she says, is partaking in regular activities like not always getting her hair styled or leaving the house with a ton of makeup on, or "going out to the gym and coming out sweaty and walking down the street and getting coffee." "I try to do that every day, just have a normal life that is in public and ignore that people are watching it," she said. By doing these regular activities, she hopes it shows that "you can be in a position of some prominence in the public eye but still sort of be a part of this generation and do the same things that everyone else does." She echoed a similar sentiment with her wardrobe, noting that she tries not to always purchase a new outfit for certain events, but works to try and mix and match various items already in her closet. Second Lady Life Usha says she's undertaken a handful of "self-improvement projects" now that she's second lady, which include restarting German language lessons, reading a "backlog" of books, gym classes, and "personal projects that are fundamentally unrelated to anything in politics." She still spends time with her friends despite her busy schedule, noting that a few of them are going white water rafting, hiking, and visiting some breweries in the near future. While Usha and Vance's lives have drastically changed over the past six months, with her remarking that they miss road trips, and Vance specifically drives, they have shared many fond memories in the new role and have befriended many of the staff at their new residence in the Naval Observatory. The couple still tries to have dates sometimes, with Usha noting that being on a discrete date in Cincinnati, "that sense of being anonymous in public is honestly the best of all dates for us." In her political role, she is seeking to encourage young kids to read more and draw attention away from their phones and other technology, and she launched the Summer Reading Challenge, in which children read 12 books between June and September. They can then write or draw a reflection and submit it to the White House. She told McCain that while literacy is "going to be a major issue" for her, it's not the only one she is seeking to tackle. When asked about her political future and the possibility of becoming first lady soon, Usha replied, "Four years ago, I had absolutely no intention of leading any sort of life in politics," later adding, "I'm not plotting out next steps or really trying for anything after this." "In a dream world, eventually I'll be able to live in my home and kind of continue my career and all those sorts of things," she said, noting that right now she is "along for the ride and enjoying while I can."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions Fans Predict Big Season For Sam LaPorta After 'Special' Announcement Tuesday
Lions Fans Predict Big Season For Sam LaPorta After 'Special' Announcement Tuesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Detroit Lions' offense remained strong until the final seconds ticked off of the clock at Ford Field during their playoff loss to the Commanders and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson walked off of the field for the last time. Advertisement Johnson is now in Chicago as the Bears' head coach, but Lions fans have big expectations for the team in 2025-26 with John Morton taking over as the team's primary offensive play caller and plenty of star power in Motown. On Tuesday, Lions TE Sam LaPorta turned heads with a "special" announcement from a world famous location as fans began predicting big things for the former Iowa star. Sam LaPorta (R) hits sleds with Brock Wright at Lions practice in May 2025. © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "Thank you to a very busy man for blessing me and my bride," LaPorta wrote on Instagram with a picture of he and his wife Callahan Dellinger LaPorta next to Pope Leo XIV. "A special moment we'll never forget #catholic #popeleoxiv #catholicismrocks," he added before fans reacted. Advertisement View the original article to see embedded media. "LaPorta is now blessed by the Pope. Record setting season incoming," lionsmemes wrote under the photo. "I've seen enough the Pope has blessed our sweet TE1 and now he will be All-Pro," another fan added. "My tight end got blessed by the pope he going for 1500 yards," another said with a crying emoji. "Incredible!!! Congratulations and God bless you both!!!" another fan said. "A few incredible people from Illinois!!!" another added. Former Iowa tight end Luke Lachey added three pairs of praying hands emojis while former Michigan and current Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker also chimed in. Advertisement "Unreal bro, God bless you both," Schoonmaker said to the Lions tight end. Related: Lions Cornerback Hyped up by Kerby Joseph Ahead of 2025 Season This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
